Burglars who target elderly to face up to six years in jail

BURGLARS targeting the elderly or vulnerable are set to face tougher sentences under new proposals unveiled today.

Burglars targeting the elderly or vulnerable are set to face tougher sentences []

The maximum jail terms for these kind of burglaries should be raised from four years to six, says the Sentencing Council.

In extreme cases, with aggravating circumstances, it wants sentences to reach 13 years.

And it wants judges to focus on the impact of the crime on the victim during sentencing.

In a document published today, the Council calls for more severe sentences for crimes committed when the victim is at home or if they suffer “significant trauma”.

Launching a three-month consultation on the proposals, Lord Justice Leveson, the Council’s chairman, said: “Burglary can have a very serious impact on victims, it is very far from being only a crime against property.

“We have ensured that the impact on victims is at the centre of considerations about what sentence should be passed.”

The maximum jail terms for these kind of burglaries should be raised from four years to six

Priti Patel, Tory MP for Witham, Essex, said: “The British public deserves the law to be on their side and that burglars be punished with tough sentences.

“Those who target the vulnerable are the lowest of the low.

“They need to know that that kind of behaviour is wrong and they will be punished.”Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support, said: “We know how traumatic it is to have your home broken into, your personal space invaded and your possessions stolen.

“We are pleased that victims are being considered in these guidelines.”

The new guidelines mean that burglars who commit their crimes while the occupants are in or those who steal irreplaceable family heirlooms are now liable for jail terms similar to those who make off with vastly more expensive items. It will make sentencing by magistrates and judges more consistent, says the Council.